Myrtle Beach, SC --- The WPI baseball team kept its winning ways going to open the 2024 season in an offense heavy battle with Saint Elizabeth (NJ) on Monday afternoon at the Myrtle Beach Spring Break Tournament.
The Engineers (3-0) earned a 16-7 victory over the Eagles (1-4) thanks to 3-for-4 performances from both Jack Zawacki (Pittsford, NY) and Andrew Cash (Marlboro, MA). Zawicki finished the outing with three hits, including two doubles, scoring a pair of runs and driving in another four. Cash ripped his first roundtripper of the season driving in a pair of runs and scoring another two in the win.
Andrew Gray (Millersville, MD) got the start on the mound for the Engineers, finishing with 5.0 innings pitched, seven hits and four runs allowed and nine strikeouts. Dominic Monico (Litchield, NH) and Damon Chase (Rye, NH) closed out the game, combining for three scoreless innings en route to the victory. Trevor Policastro (Bayville, NJ) picked up the loss for Saint Elizabeth's allowing eight hits and seven runs over four innings of action.
WPI got things going in the top of the first inning. Jacob Hand (Niskayuna, NY) started things off with a walk, and a fielder's choice for Matt Shea (Andover, MA) followed by a single down the rightfield line from Tommy Burns (Morris Plains, NJ) got the first run of the day on the board. On a ground out to first, Gavin George (Salem, NH) drove in Shea and Zawacki's first double of the day brought home the third run of the inning.
WPI added another run in the top of the second and third innings, and in the bottom half of the third, Saint Elizabeth's cut into the WPI lead putting two runs on the board to make it a 5-2 ballgame one third of the way through.
Saint Elizabeth added another run in the fourth, but WPI answered in the top half of the fifth with four more runs driving the Eagles' starter from the game. Burns reached on a throwing error, moving up to second on the throw. A George double to left brought home Burns and George eventually moved up to third on a passed ball. Zawacki jumped on base after getting by a pitch and he and George advanced on a wild pitch to add another run to the total.
A double to left center from Liam Keblin (Newton, MA) brought home Zawacki and Keblin moved up to third on a wild pitch, coming home one batter later on a sacrifice fly from Jonathan Lattimer (Windsor, CT) to make it a 9-3 game.
Saint Elizabeth's added another in the bottom half of the frame, but WPI responded with another four run inning in the sixth. The Eagles battled back in the bottom half of the inning with another trio of runs but a Cash homer in the seventh sealed the win for the Engineers, who added another insurance run in the ninth.
WPI is back in action on Tuesday afternoon as the team continues its spring break trip with a 1:30 p.m. meeting with Cairn (PA). Saint Elizabeth's will face the Lancaster Bible College on Tuesday at Noon.